No internet/phone during power outage even with UPS/battery

[jpmorrison]

Power went out this morning for a big portion of North Vancouver.

My UPS kept power on for my cable modem, wifi and phone. Internet and IP phone kept working for about five minutes before it stopped working.

What gives? Does this happen to anyone else with UPS/generator backup? What happens with Shaw phone?

This happened to my girlfriend in White Rock too so I doubt if it's isolated to my place.

[shaw-tamara · Accepted solution]

Hi jpmorrison 

The backup battery on the phone terminal, or an external generator would only keep the services working if the power isn't out at our node as well. If the power outage covers a large enough area to include our node, then service would go down regardless of any backup power source at your home.

[#3]

So in 2018 our mega giant cable company doesn't have backup power at their nodes...? I assumed yes by default...

[#4]

Sometimes...  A common issue can be a drop-amp that isn't powered somewhere in your home/building.  Seen this more than once in multi-dwelling buildings.  A cable amplifier in a wiring room for a building/complex doesn't have a backup.

The Shaw nodes (all?) have battery backup, but sometimes the batteries have failed too.

[CandianGirlBC]

HI  FOLKS,B.C.HYDRO IS SHUTTING DOWN FOR SOME HOURS TONIGHTAND MY ISSUES  IS DOES SHAW   HOME WIFI STAY ON  DURING  SHUT DOWN? ANYBUDDY KNOW ? GRASHOPPER WHERE'D YA GET A GENERATOR LIKE THE ONE YOU HAVE ( SORRY IM A SHUT -IN I NEVER LEAVE MY YARD ).SO I DONT REALLY KNOW WHATS OUT THERE ,

[rstra]

@CandianGirlBC Unless you have backup power for your modem/router and assuming that Shaw equipment on the street remains powered, you will not have internet during the outage. 

[CandianGirlBC]

HEY THANKS  FOR  GETTING BACK TO ME SO QUICKLY THERE BUDS  🙂  BE SAFE  TAKE CARE  AND THANKS AGAIN EH  🙂

[mdk]

@CandianGirlBC - there are a few dependencies, to determine if you still will have Internet:

1. power to your desktop computer and its screen, or a charged battery inside your notebook, smart-phone, or tablet device;
2. power to your cable-modem;
3. power to the Shaw equipment in your area of your town/city -- a "wide-area" outage may cause a lack of power to that equipment;
4. power to the "packet exchange" computer-room (where cables from Shaw & Telus & Bell & Rogers & others meet, so that packets can cross-over from the Shaw network to some other network, on their way to their destination on the Internet).

You'll need a "yes" for all of the above, to reach some sites on the Internet.

P.S. A "UPS" is an "uninterruptible power supply". It's a box with a heavy-duty battery, and multiple electrical outlets. The battery stays charged, as long as electrical power is fed to it. When that power "drops", you probably have 10 to 20 minutes of battery-based power to your computer/screen/cable-modem -- just enough time to do a "normal shutdown" of your computer. Any "big-box" electronics store (Staples, BestBuy, London Drugs) will sell a UPS. Cost depends on how many minutes of power it will provide.

[robertsonpierce]

Same here in Langley. I think it’s because bc hydro takes them out. Maybe Shaw needs a generator too!! You’d think they would have a way to keep their business going. I guess with having contracts we ( the clients) are powerless too. Something seriously wrong with that.

[LangleyUser]

Why not have generator back up at your nodes or at least some battery storage?   We lost power here in Langley for 9 hours but have now had zero Shaw for going on 30 hours - but web Blanes power outage